Whitburn pupils help out charities
Teens compete to help community groups
Big- hearted pupils at Whitburn Academy have taken part in a scheme to help charities in their community.
The teenagers joined in the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative ( YPI), an innovative way to financially support local, grassroots charities while engaging young people in a hands- on active citizenship experience.
Each participating school, each year is responsible for directing a £3000 YPI Grant to a local charity through a unique programme of team work, research and competition.
In January, all S3 pupils took part in a launch event to mark the start of a 12-week project, which took place in their English class.
During this time, the pupils worked in small groups, researching their chosen charity and creating a presentation.
Some of the groups visited the charities to find out first- hand what they do and what any money donated to them would buy.
Semi finals took place during week beginning March 20, where one group from each class was chosen to take part in the final.
The final took place on Thursday ( March 29) with four group’s making a presentation in a bid to secure the £3000 for their chosen group.
Group one, Adam Gilmour and Kerry Gordon, chose Tippethill Hospital, which is located a mile away from the school.
Group two, Jamie- Lee- Ann Hunter, Lara Hardie and Chantelle McDonald, chose Macmillan Cancer Support
Group three, Raegann White, Rachel Adams, Jennifer Baff, Jenna Halliday and Kirstie Russell, chose SMILE Counselling service from Bathgate
And group four, Briany Smith, Callum O’Hara, Kyle Brown, Casey McLelland and Alan Hill, chose Jak’s Den, who support young people with cancer.
The winning group was Raegann, Rachel, Jennifer, Jenna and Kirstie from Team SMILE and £3000 has now been donated to their chosen charity.
Whitburn Academy teacher, Claire McGrath, said: “The final was a super evening with all the young people involved doing themselves proud. Well done.
“Many thanks to all who attended and supported the programme and evening.”